A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending
on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist.
Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an
audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different
forms of theatres or entertainment venues. They have also been used in
films and on television. The attachment of the strings varies according to its
character or purpose. Etymology
In French. marionette = "little Mary". One of the first figures to be made into
a marionette was the Virgin Mary, hence the name.
History = Ancient times=
Puppetry is an ancient form of performance. Some historians claim that
they pre-date actors in theatre. There is evidence that they were used in Egypt
as early as 2000 BC when string-operated figures of wood were manipulated to
perform the action of kneading bread, and other string controlled objects.
Wire controlled, articulated puppets made of clay and ivory have been found
in Egyptian tombs. Marionette puppetry was used to display rituals and
ceremonies using these string-operated figurines back in ancient times and is
used today. Puppetry was practiced in Ancient Greece
and the oldest written records of puppetry can be found in the works of
Herodotus and Xenophon, dating from the 5th century BC. The Greek word
translated as "puppet" is "νευρόσπαστος", which literally means
"drawn by strings, string-pulling", from "νεῦρον", meaning either "sinew, tendon,
muscle, string", or "wire", and "σπάω", meaning "draw, pull".
Aristotle discusses puppets in his work On the Motion of Animals.
The movements of animals may be compared with those of automatic puppets, which
are set going on the occasion of a tiny movement; the levers are released, and
strike the twisted strings against one another.
Archimedes is known to have worked with marionettes. Plato's work also contains
references to puppetry. The Iliad and the Odyssey were presented using
puppetry. The roots of European puppetry probably extend back to the Greek plays
with puppets played to the "common people" in the 5th century BC. By the
3rd century BC these plays would appear in the Theatre of Dionysus at the
Acropolis. In ancient Greece and Rome clay and
ivory dolls, dated from around 500 BC, were found in children's tombs. These
dolls had articulated arms and legs, some of which had an iron rod extending
up from the tops of their heads. This rod was used to manipulate the doll from
above, exactly as is done today in Sicilian puppetry. A few of these dolls
had strings in place of the rods. Some researchers believe these ancient
figures were mere toys and not puppets due to their small size.
The Indian word "sutradhara" refers to the show-manager of theatrical
performances, and also means literally "string-puller" or "string-holder".
= Sicilian marionettes= The sides of donkey carts are decorated
with intricate, painted scenes from the Frankish romantic poems, such as The
Song of Roland. These same tales are enacted in traditional puppet theatres
featuring hand-made marionettes of wood, an art form called "L'Opera deî Pupi" in
Sicilian. The opera of the puppets and the Sicilian tradition of cantastorî are
rooted in the Provençal troubadour tradition in Sicily during the reign of
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, in the first half of the 13th century. A great
place to see this marionette art is the puppet theatres of Palermo, Sicily.
= Marionette operas= In the 18th century, operas were
specifically composed for marionettes. Mozart as a child had seen marionettes.
Gluck, Haydn, de Falla and Respighi all composed adult operas for marionettes.
Lewis Carroll composed marionette operas and plays for his siblings'
entertainment. Today in Salzburg in Austria, the Salzburg Marionette Theatre
still continues the tradition of presenting full-length opera using
marionettes in their own purpose-built theatre.
The Opera dei Pupi, Sicilian puppet theater, was relisted on the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.
= Marionettes in modern times= Marionettes are sometimes referred to as
"puppets", but the term "marionettes" is more precise, distinguishing them from
other forms of puppetry, such as finger, glove, rod and shadow puppetry.
In the UK the renaissance of Marionettes during the late 19th and early 20th
century was driven by W. H. Whanslaw and Waldo Lanchester, two of the co-founders
of the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild. The only purpose-built UK
marionette theatre is The Harlequin Puppet Theatre in Rhos on Sea, North
Wales, Founded by the late Eric Bramall FRSA and continued by Chris Somerville.
Other theatres that occasionally perform with marionettes are the Little Angel
Theatre founded by John and Lyndie Wright in Islington, London, Whose first
ever show The Wild Night Of The Witches was a marionette play, It opened the
theatre in 1961 and was revived for the 50th anniversary in 2011 The Norwich
Puppet Theatre founded by Ray & Joan DaSilva sometimes present marionette
shows and the Puppet Theatre Barge continue to perform using long string
marionettes throughout the year, founded by Gren Middleton and Juliet Rogers. The
barge is based in Little Venice, London during the winter months and tours to
places such as Richmond Upon Thames during the summer.
In Scotland, Dr Malcolm Knight has championed the art form and over the
last 25 years the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre has acted as a catalyst, a
lead agency, and as a resource centre for all those with an interest in mask
and puppet theatre. In Austria the Salzburg Marionette
Theatre was founded in 1913 by Professor Anton Aicher. Aicher was heavily
influenced by Count Franz Pocci who founded the Munich Marionette Theatre in
Germany in 1855. Until 2012, the Salzburg Marionette Theatre was under
the artistic direction of his granddaughter, Gretl Aicher, who
commented on her lasting interest in marionettes, "What then is the
fascination of a life with marionettes? Is it the pleasure of performing? The
appeal of mastering an 'instrument' to the point of virtuosity? The
transformation of one's own self? For me, it is the process of empathizing
with mind and soul, of feeling at one with music and movement that bring these
much loved creatures to life. The Salzburg Marionette Theatre performs
mainly operas such as Die Fledermaus and The Magic Flute and a small number of
ballets such as The Nutcracker. The Salzburg Marionette Theatre productions
are aimed for adults although children are welcome. There is also a marionette
theatre at Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna. Marionette theatre also had a very long
history in entertainment in Prague, In the Czech Republic Marionette theatre
has a very long history in entertainment in Prague, An important organisation is
the National Marionette Theatre. Its repertoire mainly features a marionette
production of Mozart's famous Don Giovanni. The production has period
costumes and a beautifully designed 18th-century setting. There are numerous
other companies including, Buchty a Loutky founded by Marek Bečka. Rocky IX
and Tibet are just two works in the repertoire.
In Australia, like in many other countries, there is a continuing
tradition of marionette puppetry. Norman Hetherington OAM, Peter Scriven, founder
of the Marionette Theatre of Australia, Richard Bradshaw OAM and David Splatt
are notable puppeteers. In Picardy, Lafleur is a marionette from
Amiens. The Cabotans d'Amiens are hand carved, using wood, with a central rod
and strings for the arms and legs. In France, the most famous puppet is the
Guignol which is a hand puppet created in Lyon in 1808.
= Television film= With the rise in popularity of
television and film, marionettes found a rise in popularity especially in
children's programming. The story of Pinocchio and its Disney adaptation,
which was released in 1940, is a story about a marionette. In 1947, Howdy Doody
introduced marionettes to children's television, with Howdy Doody being a
marionette, as well as some other characters.
In the 1950s, Bil Baird and Cora Eisenberg presented a great number of
marionette shows for television, and were also responsible for the Lonely
Goatherd sequence from the classic film The Sound of Music. Bil Baird also wrote
a classic book on his work. In Australia, a program called Mr.
Squiggle, using a marionette central character of the same name, ran for just
over 40 years. Another program for children using puppetry was the Magic
Circle Club featuring puppets Cassius Cuckoo and Leonardo de Funbird.
From the 1940s onwards, the BBC in the United Kingdom, produced a wide series
of marionette programmes for children and then created The BBC Television
Puppet Theatre based in Lime Grove Studios from 1955–1964, Usually under
the title Watch With Mother The various programmes included Whirligig, The
Woodentops, Bill and Ben, Muffin The Mule, Rubovia a series created by Gordon
Murray and Andy Pandy. Later in the 1960s, Gerry Anderson with his wife,
Sylvia Anderson and colleagues made a number of hit series, Fireball XL5,
Stingray and Thunderbirds, which pioneered a technique combining
marionettes and electronics. This allowed for radio control moving of the
mouth of a marionettes. The technique was patented and called
"supermarionation". The programs have been shown all around the world and are
now widely distributed on DVD. Anderson also made two films, Thunderbirds Are Go
and Thunderbird 6. During the 1970s in the UK TV series using marionettes
include The Adventures of Rupert Bear, Mumfie and Cloppa Castle. Some
marionettes appear in Pipkins namely Octavia Ostrich. More recently
marionettes are starting to re emerge on the TV screen, Coca Cola Have used
marionettes to create a series of adverts based in an office and music
videos use them regularly as metaphors. Marionettes are featured in the 1999
film, Being John Malkovich. John Cusack played a manipulator who referred to
himself as a puppeteer. The BBC children's show Playbus used
many puppets during their commission, notably a singing and dancing marionette
called Lizzie Dreams, sometimes paired up with another marionette called Nick.
Team America: World Police is a 2004 movie made by South Park creators Matt
Stone and Trey Parker which uses a crude, naive, child like style of
supermarionation as in Thunderbirds. Matt Stone and Trey Parker dubbed their
version "Supercrappymation" due to the fact they intentionally left the strings
visible among other reasons. Also appearing in 2004 was the
full-length, award-winning marionette fantasy film Strings, directed by Dane
Anders Rønnow Klarlund. A marionette was also used in the Doctor
Who episode "The Shakespeare Code". Pixar uses its own proprietary software
called Marionette to create its animations but this has nothing to do
with puppetry except in name. Types of marionette control bar
= Chinese / Asian paddle control= This type of control has many strings
attached to a rounded rectangular paddle with a short handle, all the strings are
attached and hang from the outer edge of the paddle and are used by selecting
each string with the opposite hand and pulling to control the figure which
hangs below. = Horizontal control=
This control is a bar which is held in the hand in a horizontal plane. There
can be numerous bars at right angles to the central bar, which in turn attaches
via wires to the hands, shoulders, back, etc. A smaller plate is usually hung
under the main bar, and this carries the head strings; likewise, a detachable
clip usually holds the leg bar. This style of control is generally used in
the USA for human figures and is also known as the American control. A similar
control is almost universally used for quadruped animals; as it emulates the
basic shape of the animal, rocking it from side to side will control the leg
movements in unison. The Salzburg Marionette Theatre in Austria also uses
a variant of this style for its human characters.
Vertical control This type of control is an upright bar
which has various smaller bars inserted at right angles from which the head,
shoulder, back etc. strings etc. are attached to. This control usually has a
detachable leg bar which controls walking when held in the opposite hand.
The arms are controlled by wires which are inserted into a hole in the shaft
bent at approximately 45 degrees to the shaft and hang loosely with a loop at
the end to attach the hand strings, these are then moved by the fingers
holding the main shaft. A tilt of the main upright, controls the head and body
with a fine nuance, This type of control is usually called the British control.
Another variation of the vertical control is found in Europe usually a
rigid wire rod extends from the centre of the head upwards and fixed rigidly to
the control, The leg bar is inserted through the main upright but pivots on a
pin to allow movement of the legs. Styles of marionettes
= Sicilian marionettes= Sicilian marionettes are among the
simplest marionettes to operate. They are usually carved out of wood and have
a sturdy rod which extends up through the body into the head. This rod, and
one string attached to the hand, controls the manipulation of the puppet.
= Czech marionettes= Czech rod marionettes are similar to
Sicilian ones though they are more complex. They are hand carved, usually
using lime wood. The marionettes have the central rod like the Sicilian
marionette but also have strings for the arms and legs. Sometimes they also use
string to control a mouth or movable ears. These require more skilled
manipulation. Czechs also have marionettes that have no central rod and
strings that are attached to the head, shoulders and back. These are the most
difficult marionettes to manipulate due to the absence of the central rod.
Miroslav Trejtnar is an acknowledged master puppeteer and teacher of
traditional Czech marionette making skills.
= Burmese marionettes= Burmese marionettes are all string
operated and are a popular art in Burma. Marionettes are called Yoke thé and are
almost always performed in operas. A Burmese marionette troupe must have 27
characters, including a king, animals such as horse, elephant, tiger, monkey
and parrot, ministers, prince and princess and buffoons A hsaing waing, a
traditional Burmese orchestra usually provides the music. Burmese marionettes
are very intricate and dexterous as they employ 18 or 19 wires, each puppet
controlled only by one puppeteer. Gallery
See also Media related to Marionettes at
Wikimedia Commons Bunraku, traditional Japanese puppet
theater Buz-baz, traditional Afghan puppet show
Water puppetry, Vietnamese traditional puppetry
Digital puppetry, animated objects in a virtual environment rendered in
real-time by computers Harlequin Puppet Theatre, Britain's
first purpose-built marionette theatre Mr. Squiggle, Australian marionette
Funeral March of a Marionette by Charles Gounod, best known as the theme music
for Alfred Hitchcock Presents Shadow play, puppetry using silhouettes
of flat puppets Further reading
Baird, Bil. The Art of the Puppet. Plays. ISBN 0-8238-0067-9.
Binyon, Helen. Puppetry Today. London: Studio Vista Limited.
Dwiggins, William Addison. Marionette in motion; the Püterschein system
diagrammed, described. Detroit. Beaton, Mabel; Beaton, Les. Marionettes:
A Hobby for Everyone. New York. Currell, David. An Introduction to
Puppets and Puppetmaking. London: New Burlington Books, Quintet Publishing
Limited. ISBN 1-85348-389-3. Dubska, Alice; Novak, Jan; Malikova,
Nina; Zdenkova, Marie. Czech Puppet Theatre. Prague: Theatre Institute. ISBN
80-7008-199-6. Latshaw, George. The Complete Book of
Puppetry. London: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-40952-8.
Logan, David. Puppetry. Brisbane Dramatic Arts Company. ISBN
9780980456301. Robinson, Stuart; Robertson, Patricia.
Exploring Puppetry. London: Mills & Boon Limited.
Sinclair, Anita. The Puppetry Handbook. Richmond, Victoria, Australia: Richard
Lee Publishing. ISBN 0-646-39063-5. Suib, Leonard; Broadman, Muriel.
Marionettes Onstage!. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers. ISBN 0-06-014166-2.
References External links
Virtual museum of the puppet and of the marionette
Examples of different Czech marionettes according to their material
Online gallery and resource of marionettes from the Czech Republic
Czech marionettes workshop BBC website for Thunderbirds
Scott Radke Puppet Theatre Barge
Nikolai Zykov Theatre Portail des Arts de la Marionnette
A 2011 Documentary by Rogier van Beeck Calkoen about the Czech puppeteer Pavel
Truhlar.